Another World
by Betty BOKOR
Summary: SamDaniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place. An alternate reality gives him a new insight about his relationship with Sam. Sam makes very important decisions.
1. Chapter 1

**ANOTHER WORLD – I. The Director's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**The Director's World **

**Chapter 1**

Daniel opened his eyes and vaguely recognized that he was in a storage room at the SGC. Close to him was a quantum mirror. He was surprised. In the first place, the SGC had sent the mirror to Area 51 a long time ago and, if he remembered correctly, Hammond had ordered it destroyed. Second, the last thing he could recall was being on another planet, on a mission with SG-1. He picked himself up from the floor and looked into the mirror. He was careful not to get too close to it, but he was unable to see anything on the other side. Though it looked as if the mirror was active, the reality at the other end seemed to be just a dark pit. He turned and walked toward the door. He almost expected it to be locked, but the door opened without a problem. He had not walked more than a few meters when a young airman approached him with a set of papers.

"Director! I couldn't find you anywhere, sir. Where were you? I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to pry. It's just that I was getting worried because I didn't know where you were-"

Daniel looked at his nameplate and interrupted him, "Airman Johnson, right? You were looking for me?"

"Yes, sir. General Carter called and asked that you sign these documents and fax them as soon as possible-"

"Jacob?" Daniel interrupted again.

Johnson looked at him strangely and said, "Are you sure you're feeling all right, sir? _That _General Carter is with the Tok'ra. I don't think they use a fax down there. I mean General _Samantha _Carter, your wife, sir."

Daniel felt the room slightly spinning around him. Johnson did not miss it and softly grabbed him by the arm. "We'd better go by the Infirmary, sir. I'm sure Dr. Fraiser would like to have a look at you."

Daniel felt even dizzier and let the young man guide him. When they arrived at the Infirmary, he felt some relief; at least it was still in the same place. Soon he saw Janet walk toward him with worry in her eyes and he felt ready to pass out.

"Dan?" she immediately asked. "What happened, Johnson?"

"I don't know for certain, ma'am. He was wondering around the base –he asked me some odd questions– and he looked sick, ma'am," the airman said almost in confidence.

"Well, perhaps he's hit his head… I'll take care of him. Go back to your duties, Johnson."

"Sergeant Harriman needs to fax these papers to General Carter as soon as he signs them," he started to complain.

Daniel had been leaning against the wall, trying to work out the situation in his head. It definitely had to be an alternate universe, but how had he gotten there? Janet interrupted his thoughts.

"Dan, are you up to it?" she asked him.

"Err… All right, I'll sign them; just leave a copy on my desk so that I can read them again later," he said.

Johnson passed him the papers saying, "As always, sir." As soon as they were signed, the airman left the room.

Janet finished talking to Dr. Warner, who had approached her while Daniel was talking to Johnson, and went back to him. "All right, Dan, let's take care of you. Do you remember what happened?" she asked as she guided him toward a bed in a secluded room.

"I might have hit my head. I believe I lost consciousness for a short while," he said honestly.

"Well, we'll do all the necessary studies to find out. You look better than a moment ago; are you feeling better now?" Daniel nodded. "Then, while I examine you, we'll take care of my report for the day." In a minute she started giving him detailed information about all the SGC personnel who had been injured on missions and the status of anyone who had required medical attention during the day. Daniel listened carefully and tried to retain as much information as possible. "Now, on the family front… Well, Sam's pregnancy is still doing fine. Dr. Brightman went to check on her this morning. We haven't had any more incidents since she stopped coming to the office. I know it's been hard for her, but she's too close to her due date to take any risks. Don't you agree?" Daniel was still trying to assimilate the idea that in this universe he was married to Sam when the news that she was about to give birth to their child hit him. He simply nodded. "Now, about Vala," Janet continued, "she's still taking her contraceptives." She sighed. "I'll never understand how Sam can allow you to keep seeing Vala…" Daniel looked at her with surprise, but she interpreted it differently. "I know, I know, it all started when you three were prisoners of the Ori, and I know that nobody else knows, but, still, I don't know how Sam can live with it," she said in a whisper. Daniel lowered his eyes; he had no answers.

"By the way, Dan, when did you cut your hair?"


	2. Chapter 2

**ANOTHER WORLD – I. The Director's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**The Director's World **

**Chapter 2**

After Daniel left Janet's office with some pills for his growing headache, he wandered around the base trying to understand what had happened. If he was in an alternate reality, he would soon start feeling the effects of thetemporal entropic cascade failure, but only if the other Daniel was still there, too. Perhaps it was too early to feel any symptoms –he had been in this reality for only a short period of time­­­– or _'Dan'_ was in his reality.

He walked toward his office, the same one he had had since General Hammond had allowed him to become part of SG-1, and was surprised to find that there was another person sitting at his desk. He immediately recognized his friend Robert Rothman.

"Hey, Dan. Coming to check up on your subordinates?"

"Excuse me?" Daniel said befuddled.

"Just a joke, don't take it wrong. It's that you don't come up here very often since you became the Director."

"I see. I just wanted to know how you're doing, if you need any help," he tried.

"No. Everything is fine. It's good to have the boss on your side," Robert smiled.

Daniel nodded and smiled, too. He left the office as confused as before. He decided to go by Sam's lab. Dr. Lee was there, leaning over the workbench with some strange looking device in his hands. He looked up and saw Daniel.

"Dr. Jackson! Great timing! I've been meaning to go by your office and give you this," he said as he retrieved a small box from one of the drawers. "It's a device that SG-14 brought from their last mission. It's not really useful for the military, but I thought that Sam would get a kick out of it. Let her figure it out. It's fascinating," he added as he gave the box to Daniel. "Is she doing okay? You know that since you two took charge of the base we haven't had her around here very much, but since she started her maternity leave, we're missing her even more."

"Thank you; I'll be sure to tell her that. She's doing fine now; she just needed some rest," Daniel said remembering Janet's words.

He walked away with the box in his hands, trying to choose his next movement. He finally opted for going directly to Landry's office. If he was a _'Director'_ of something, perhaps the Research Department, there was a chance that his office was near Landry's, even if Lee had said that he had taken charge of the base with Sam.

He was shocked as he reached the door. There, the normal Air Force issue nameplate read _Dr. Daniel Jackson. Director_. Director of the SGC? Wow. He had not guessed that one.

He noticed that there was another door, near his office, that was not there in _his _SGC. He walked toward it and read the nameplate. _General Samantha Carter_.

He walked back and opened the door of his _new_ office and approached the desk. He soon identified the organized mess as his. He sat behind the desk and grabbed a couple of files. The first thing he noticed as he sat down was a frame that displayed two pictures. Where General Hammond's granddaughters had been, there was a photograph of a pregnant Sam in a general's uniform standing by a smiling Cassie. The other one was a wedding picture of Sam and himself. He looked weird, awfully thin and with extremely short hair. He looked at the pictures for a few minutes, trying to imagine how it would be to live that life.

He returned the pictures to the desk and went back to the folders. He soon realized that both Sam and himself had signed most of the papers. Evidently they were sharing command of the SGC. He wondered what turn of events could have pushed the government to make that decision.

After more than a couple of hours of reading, he understood that the reason why he was sitting in that chair was simply international pressure. When the Stargate Program had become public –that really fascinated him– the rest of the world had rapidly become discontented at the exclusively military handling of the SGC. To appease the international community, the government had agreed to allow Dan, by then the prominent scientist whose theories had all been proven right, to share command.

Daniel wondered what would happen when the program became public in his own reality. It was bound to happen, but he was certain that it would be delayed as long as possible. He also believed he would never get to share its command.

He went back to the papers and while he was thumbing through a different group of files he saw an SG-1 report. Who was in SG-1? He had to know. He picked up the papers and read the signatures at the end of the pages. Mitchell was the Commanding Officer. Teal'c was there, too. He searched the next page and found that Vala was also a member of SG-1. He hurried to read the last signature, Jonas Quinn. He was perplexed. He had not seen Jonas in a long time. He unburied the intercom from under the papers he had spread on the table and asked Walter to bring him the files related to the Ori beachhead.

Harriman was back in a few minutes with all he had requested. Daniel asked him if there was anything going on that he should be aware of, but Walter replied that everything had been unusually calm during the day. Daniel felt grateful that at least he had to face less chances of being discovered. After his aide left, he carefully read the reports until he got to the part where the story differed from his. His counterpart Dan _had_ paid attention to Vala when she was trying to explain how to interrupt the formation of the giant portal. They had rapidly convinced Sam and the three of them had headed to the small ship and subsequently had ended up being transported to the Ori galaxy right after they had destroyed the gate. He could not see the logic of the three going on the ship, but then he had _not_ paid attention to Vala and he did not know how it all could have worked out if he had.

He searched among the next reports and he found the ones where Sam, Vala, and the other Daniel described their time of captivity with the Ori. His own version of events made him sick. It recounted endless torture sessions to which the Ori had subjected him daily. They had been interested in finding out how a mere human could have ascended –and descended– twice. If humans started having such ability, there would be no incentive for worshipping the Ori. There was nothing else they could falsely offer in exchange. The promise of ascension had been their main bait, especially for the Priors.

His captors had also been searching for any memory he had kept from his ascended periods. They sought to use any knowledge they could acquire for their upcoming clash with the Ancients.

Dan had managed to keep most of his secrets, first because he did not have many memories to share from his ascension, and, second, because he felt he owed it to Oma Desala to keep quiet. That had not gone over very well with the Ori, who had increased the intensity of the torture. There had been not only physical abuse, but also psychological games where he had been drugged and induced to believe that he had hurt or killed the people he cared about. He suddenly remembered what Sam had said about her experience with the human replicators.

Daniel paused his reading for a few minutes. He could see how dangerous the Ori were, even more than he had predicted earlier. He had to return to his reality and warn his friends.

Soon, he went back to reading. He found out how Sam, Vala, and Dan had finally engineered an escape and returned to their galaxy. There was nothing in the report that could explain how he had become so close to Sam and Vala that he had married one and taken the other one as his lover after their return.

He continued with Sam's report. It had plenty of technically detailed descriptions of every artifact or piece of technology in possession of the Ori she had been able to observe. Unfortunately, most of their power derived directly from their minds and such devices were few. Then he reached the segment where Sam described the state in which _'Dan'_ had been returned to their prison cell after his daily sessions with their captors. It seemed _he_ had omitted many details in his descriptions, perhaps trying to make them less sickening or simply in an effort to forget. Sam's military training had compelled her to include every minute detail she had been able to remember.

Daniel had to stop again because of the nausea overcoming him. He reflected on what he had read for a few minutes. Sam and Vala had probably saved Dan's life; he could not imagine surviving so much without their support. He picked up Vala's report and he was not surprised to see that she had made a clearly personal description of events. No technical details or professional detachment. By reading her words he was able to deeply understand what had truly happened.

He closed the folders and put them on the desk. What the three had gone through during captivity had been without a doubt horrible. It did not matter that Dan had been the one suffering the actual torture; the experience had scarred them all and had also bonded them in a way he could not begin to understand. He could see then how Sam might not object to him still having a relationship with Vala. He was only surprised that Dan had chosen Sam to marry and mother his child. If he thought about himself, he had had more conflicting emotions about the Vala in his world than about his Sam; he had never thought about Sam as a woman for him.

A light knock on the door brought him back to reality. He got up and opened the door and found a smiling Charles Kawalski on the other side. "Hey, Dan. Wow! What's with the haircut? I thought you'd never cut it back after the Ori thing."

Daniel smiled and let him in. He was surprised to see him alive in this reality, but not to see that he was a general by now. "How can I help you?"

"Well, Landry is going to be in town this weekend. He's flying in from D.C. on Saturday morning. He called and said he'd like to talk to us about some things that have been going on in Homeworld Security. Paul Davis is coming with him. We thought we could call Jack, Lou Ferretti, and George Hammond, and head to your house, since Sam isn't supposed to be going out. What do you think? You can bring Teal'c and Cam."

"I'll have to check it with Sam, but it sounds fine," Daniel said trying to sound normal. "Why don't we get back to you later?"

"Good. I'll talk to you later then." Kawalski patted Daniel's arm and left humming.

Daniel closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. What would happen if they discovered he was not their Daniel? He suddenly had an idea. What if Dan came back through the mirror? He called Walter again and ordered the quantum mirror to be carefully brought to his office. He especially instructed Walter in the handling of the control device, to keep the mirror from being deactivated. It probably was his only way home.

Sergeant Siler came in a few minutes later with a group of airmen and the mirror. Daniel turned it toward the wall. He then searched his computer for the personnel records of some members of the SGC. It looked that he had access to any data he wanted and, more surprisingly, his personal password matched the one he had been using himself, SUHFAIRHES, a made up word formed with the letters of Sha're and Shifu.

He discovered that Major Elliot and Colonel Lionel Pendergast were alive and well, still working for the SGC. On the other hand, Frank Cromwell, William Ronson, Colonel Reynolds, Colonel Samuels, and Colonel Makepiece were all dead. Drey'auc was dead in this reality, too, and of course, Sha're. He had guessed she would be; he was certain he would have never married anyone else if she were still alive. He could have never left her.

Many more were gone and Dr. Carolyn Lam had not become part of the SGC, but she was mentioned in Cam's file. He had requested a leave to marry her in a couple of months.

He got up and tried to think what he should do next. He paced around the office coming up with different solutions and discarding them as soon as he imagined the possible consequences of each. After a while he settled on one option, the only one that seemed viable, Sam. He had to see Sam and ask for her help solving the problem. He knew Sam enough to discern that, no matter in what reality, she would be fair to him and not turn him in as an impostor.

He called Walter to his office and requested an official car to drive him home. He explained he had hit his head earlier and did not think it safe to drive. Half an hour later he was knocking at the door of what was supposed to be his own house. Sam opened the door a few minutes later and looked at him surprised. "Did you forget your keys?" She then looked at him again and asked, "Why did you cut your hair?"

Daniel followed her inside the house without taking his eyes off her. She looked beautiful. Her hair was long and bright and her eyes seemed to have their own light. Her maternity dress was elegant and made her look very feminine. He wished for a second that this were truly his own reality. Having a woman like Sam as his friend and lover and also sharing with her the joy of a child was more than he thought he would ever have again.

Sam went directly to the den and sat down. "I can't believe you cut it, Dan. I told you how much I liked it, and, besides, you said it was a statement, a way to show your independence from the military and your rebellion against the Ori who shaved your head in the first place-" Daniel moved close to her and sat on the floor. He held her hands and she stopped talking. "It's early. Did anything happen? Are you all right?" Sam asked as she looked at him.

"First, I have to give you this," he said taking Dr. Lee's artifact out of his pocket. "Dr. Lee thinks you can have some fun playing with it. I also found this invitation from his wife on my desk. His children are planning a surprise party for his birthday." He passed the envelope to Sam and then added, "And Landry and Davis are coming to visit on Saturday. They want to meet Jack, Hammond, Kawalski, SG-1 and … us, here; you'll have to confirm it," he finished.

"All right; I got all that. Now, tell me what's going on."

He let go of her hand. "Sam, we've known each other for many years," Daniel started, deciding to tackle the problem right at the beginning, "and we've always trusted each other, always. I'm going to ask you to trust me one more time and I believe that my life and my future depend on it."

"Well, if it affects you, then it's my life and my future and those of our child, too," she said very seriously.

"You're right, the lives of all your family are being affected by this." She looked at him with deep concern. "Sam, I'm not the same Daniel you married."

"What do you mean?" Sam said feeling alarmed.

"Do you remember the times we came in contact with alternate realities? I checked and I know you've been through more or less the same experiences, when I crossed and when the other Sam and Kawalski came, and then the last ripple effect-"

"Dan, stop, I know what you're talking about, you don't need to explain that to me. What do you mean you're not-" She suddenly realized where the conversation was going and abruptly stood up and put distance between them.

Daniel did not move. "Sam, you know I'd never hurt you. It's all right if you want me to be far from you, but you need to sit back down. I'll move slowly to the other side of the table so that you can go back to the sofa." He could see that Sam would have preferred to have her weapon near her, but they would both have to trust each other.

Sam slowly sat down and asked, "Who are you? How did you get here?"

"I'm Daniel, just not _your _Daniel. My reality is different than this in many ways. I think I got here today through the quantum mirror, but I can't say for certain. The last memory I have before waking up by the mirror on the base, was going into a cave on a planet where I was on a mission with SG-1."

"Do you know where my Dan is?"

"No, I don't know, but he didn't seem to be on the base and I haven't had any symptoms of entropic cascade failure, though it might be too early."

"Do you believe he's in your world?"

"I'm not sure, but there's a chance that he went there as I came here."

"You're not the Director of the SGC in your world?"

"No, and I'm not married to you, either."

"Are you still married to Sarah?"

"Sarah?"

"You didn't marry her either?"

"You mean Dan was married to Sarah, Sarah Gardner?"

"Yes, until she died, more than three years ago, in a car accident. You- _he_ recruited her to the program as soon as he came back from Abydos and, after Sha're died…"

"So Sarah was not taken over by Osiris?"

"Oh, that was Steve Rayner here. He's dead, too."

Daniel sat back and closed his eyes. Sam respected his need to think. A few seconds later he looked at her and asked, "Was he happy with her? Do you know?"

"I believe so, but we don't talk much about it. He- _you_ don't like to share much about what hurts you."

Daniel smiled slightly. She knew him well in any reality. "Yeah, I know," he said.

"I believe he was sad because she couldn't have children, but he never complained. They had a strong relationship. I suppose he thought he owed her in some way because she had been the only one there for him when his parents died."

"What do you mean? When did they die? How old was he?"

"I'd say a couple of years before he opened the gate, in an accident at the New York Museum of Art. It didn't happen that way for you?"

"No," Daniel said with sadness in his voice. "They died when I was eight years old, right in front of me."

"Your life must have been very different than his, then," Sam said. She paused for a few seconds and then changed into her usual problem-solving self. "Do you know if the mirror is still active?"

"Yes, it seems to be active, but there's nothing on the other side except darkness. It looks as if the cave collapsed. I really don't know."

"So, if Dan passed to the other side, perhaps he's under the rocks," Sam said with concern.

"If he did, my SG-1 would have rescued him and they would be trying to find his way back, too."

"Perhaps. We'll have to see if your people clean up the way to the mirror."

"That's the problem. I don't recall seeing any mirrors in the cave. It was dark, and there were many Ancient and Goa'uld artifacts, but I don't remember seeing a mirror."

"Where is our mirror now?"

"I locked it in my office. I didn't want anyone to turn it off or change the universe at the other end."

"That's good. We need to go and see what we can do."

"Are you sure you're up to it? I haven't told anyone else. I didn't know whom else I could trust in this reality. I just want to go back home and see if I can send your Daniel back."

"We can talk to Dr. Lee tomorrow. Surely Vala will find out soon. We'd better not tell anyone else, not until I meet with Landry and SG-1. I don't want the authority of the SGC undermined by this. Do you think people believed you were our real Daniel?"

"Yes. Nobody made any comments except about the hair length and Janet examined me and didn't see any difference, or she would have called you."

"Janet examined you? Are you hurt?"

"I believe I hit my head on something during or after passing through the mirror. I don't remember anything and I was unconscious, I don't know for how long. I'm fine now."

"We'd better hurry. Let's go. You'll have to drive. I have to be in the back seat," she said touching her belly. She approached him as he stood up and grabbed his arm. "Daniel, from wherever you are, I'm trusting you with our lives. I can't conceive the idea that you'd try to hurt us, in any reality of this world."


	3. Chapter 3

**ANOTHER WORLD – I. The Director's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**The Director's World **

**Chapter 3**

Daniel took the mirror to Dr. Lee's lab and Sam started working on it immediately. Daniel watched her as she worked. He felt guilty about making her leave the comfort of her home, but if she wanted her husband back, she was probably his best hope. He also felt a strange sensation as he thought that the baby within her was his son, at least in some way. He was almost happy, as if the idea of being a father, even for the brief time until he found his way back, was intoxicating. He had a strong desire to approach Sam and place his hand on her belly to see if he could feel the baby move. He knew it would be inappropriate, but he could not stop wanting it. Maybe he wanted more than that; for a second he allowed himself to think how it would be to have a family with his Sam.

"Hello, gorgeous," Vala brusquely interrupted his thoughts as she entered the lab. She approached him and put a hand on his hair. "Oh! Oh! Oh! What's this supposed to mean? While I'd normally be thrilled by your assertions of independence, this has gone too far." She pulled a strand of his hair as if measuring it. "Nothing, there's nothing left."

"Nice to see you, too, Vala," Daniel simply said.

"Vala," Sam called from behind the mirror.

"Oh, what are you two up to at this time of the night?"

Sam called her over and briefly explained the situation.

"And you're sure about this cascade failure thing?" Vala asked Sam. She nodded. "Then there's no way we can get Dan back and keep this one, too?" Sam smiled and shook her head. "Oh, well. It would have been nice to have one for each; I'd even be willing to keep the bald one."

"Hey, I'm not bald," Daniel said half-seriously.

Sam smiled and Vala walked back to him. "Don't worry. I like you anyway," she said as she messed with his hair again.

"I just sent a very small probe through the mirror and it crashed against the rocks on the other side. There's no way we can send you there before a path is cleared," Sam said as she sat down behind the workbench.

Daniel lowered his head. He was starting to feel desperate.

"It's late. Why don't you go to your quarters, Sam, and have some rest. Janet said you needed to be in bed as much as you could. I'll take care of our guest for the night." Sam smiled and agreed.

"I don't need anyone to take care of me," Daniel tried.

"Well, we don't exactly know you. We'd better keep an eye on you, just in case," Vala said as she grabbed his hand and lead him out of the lab. Sam asked him to take the mirror with them and then locked the lab.

They took the elevators and when they reached the floor where the private quarters were, they separated. Sam went into her room and Daniel left the mirror with her.

Vala opened the door of another room and waited for Daniel to enter. She followed him and closed the door behind her.

"Well, off with the clothes," she said as she started untying her boots.

"Excuse me?" Daniel asked as he looked at her stunned.

"We may as well have some fun while I have to keep you company," she replied and took a boot off.

"You don't need to keep me company. You can just lock the door and I won't be able to go anywhere."

"That wouldn't be fun, would it?" She took off her other boot and turned around to hug him by the waist. "Oh, come on…"

"I thought you were with Dan. Wouldn't this be like being unfaithful to myself?" Daniel asked exasperated.

"We're not _together_ anymore," Vala said in a sad tone. She let Daniel go and sat on the edge of the bed. "For Sam. He thinks- we _both_ think it's better for her if he's only with her. She's been very understanding, but it was time to let go." She sighed and threw herself backward on the bed.

"Does Sam know?"

"Yep. We told her last week. We really haven't been together since we agreed on it." She sighed again "It sucks." She turned around and lay face down on the bed. "That's fine. It doesn't matter. I thought Sam had said that you weren't married to her and that your Vala was married to someone else. Since we're both free…"

"Vala," Daniel started, but he was not sure how to continue.

"Fine, I get it. You probably have the hots for your Sam and you're keeping the secret." She moved to the edge of the bed and closed her eyes. "You can have the other side."

Daniel was about to deny it, but he gave up. He slowly walked to the other side of the bed and lay on his back. Vala turned off the small lamp on the wall.


	4. Chapter 4

**ANOTHER WORLD – I. The Director's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**The Director's World **

**Chapter 4**

Daniel woke up and felt the unfamiliar presence of another person in the bed. He slowly realized that it was Vala. He suddenly remembered the last time he had been so close to her hair, the day she had been burned to death in Ver Ager and he shuddered. He could not stop himself from getting closer to her and deeply inhaling the apple scent emanating from the soft hair. It was so different than the burnt-flesh smell that has assaulted him as he approached her immobile figure that day. He inhaled again and tried to erase the memories.

"You're thinking of Sallis," Vala whispered from the other side.

Daniel was stunned and hesitated for a second; then decided to ask, "Why did you think that?"

"It was the only time when Dan was so close to me and he didn't mind holding me, until the Ori got us. I'm glad you didn't have to go through that one, at least."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that in any reality," Daniel replied.

"Well, nothing we can do about it now." She turned and lay on her back by his side.

Daniel suddenly felt again all the contradictory sensations that had plagued him since he had met Vala. She exasperated him so deeply, but he could not keep himself from recognizing her beauty and her intelligence. She certainly had gone through many rough times in her life, just as he had. He had chosen to hide his pain behind his books; she had chosen a very different path. He felt the vulnerability behind all the belligerence. He lifted one hand and softly caressed her cheek. She moved gently and kissed his hand. He could have stopped himself then, but he did not. He did not want to have to stop. Even if she was not his Vala, there was something there he had to let out, and his Vala was now out of reach. He knew that whatever happened that night would be all that could ever happen, because then he would be back fighting to find a way to his reality and this Vala would be left behind forever. They both knew it and it did not matter.


	5. Chapter 5

**ANOTHER WORLD – I. The Director's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**The Director's World **

**Chapter 5**

The next morning they met Sam and Dr. Lee in his lab. She had informed him of the situation and they were both working on a solution. Vala went to the mess to pick up some breakfast for all of them and Daniel sat quietly watching the scientists discuss the problem. After a short while, Dr. Lee left to gather some more information from the base library.

Sam looked at Daniel and smiled. "You slept with her," she said without losing her smile.

"Wh-what? Well…" he sighed and then gave up. "How did you know?"

"You have the same expression of guilt that Dan used to have. Don't worry; you're not him, you're not betraying anyone, and he wasn't either. I consented to it; I allowed it to happen, and I'm surprised that they decided to stop. I won't tell you that it didn't bother me. It was hard to share Dan, but I had to understand it. I was there with them and he wouldn't have come back if it weren't for her."

"But he chose you," Daniel tried.

"I'll never know exactly why. I've always thought that it was because I got pregnant and because he believes that Vala is stronger and can take it better."

"I think it was because he loves you more," Daniel said seriously.

"Thanks," Sam said and smiled again.

A few minutes later Vala was back and the three of them kept working. It was obvious to Daniel that the two women had become close friends and that they were comfortable working together. He could not see any rivalry between them and he could not see any resentment in Vala because Dan had chosen Sam over her. These were strong women and had been to hell and back together. _'They let Vala and me live because we were Dan's support system and they desperately wanted what he had,'_ Sam had written in her report, but Daniel knew they had all had a very hard time.

By midday, they decided to take a break and brought food to the lab to improvise a lunch. Sam and Vala quietly talked in one corner of the lab for a minute and then Vala left for a while. When she came back, she brought an envelope and gave it to Sam. They checked the contents and then walked toward Daniel. He was sitting, eating a sandwich, when they both sat by his side.

"This is for you, for when you go back," Sam said. Daniel put his food down, cleaned his hands, and opened the envelope. There were some pictures in it: Jacob hugging Dan on his wedding day; Jack, Kawalski, Ferretti, and Dan before they ever went to Abydos; Landry, Cam, Teal'c, Vala, and Jonas standing in front of the open gate; Dan, Robert, and Sarah dressed for a mission; Vala clearly annoying Teal'c, as she almost hung from his neck; Cam and Carolyn during their engagement party; General Hammond and Janet at Cassie's graduation, and the two pictures he had seen on Dan's desk. "I know they're not as meaningful for you as they are for Dan," Sam added, "but knowing him as much as we do, we thought you'd enjoy having a record of your experience here."

Daniel thanked them and spent a few minutes looking at the pictures. Vala got closer to him and said, "I have one more, but I don't know if I should give it to you." Daniel looked at her confused. "All right; I hope it doesn't hurt." She passed him an old picture of Dan in his doctoral robes with his parents by his side. "Sam said you lost them when you were a child and I know how that feels," Vala added.

Daniel nodded and went back to looking at the pictures. He kept going back to the wedding picture. Sam looked happy in it, but there was something that was not right. He clearly remembered the picture that a Samantha from another reality had brought to the SGC where Sam was marrying Jack. There was a big difference between the two pictures. With Jack, Sam seemed joyful, extremely happy. With Dan, she just looked content. A few hours later, while Vala and Dr. Lee kept trying ideas with the mirror, he accompanied Sam to her quarters so that she could rest. Daniel decided to ask her about the pictures.

"Sam, do you mind if I ask you something very personal?" he said as he helped her sit against the headboard of the bed.

Sam hesitated for a second, then shrugged and nodded. "That's fine."

"Why did you marry Dan? Were you already pregnant? Do you really love him that way?"

"Wow, that's a lot to ask."

"It's okay if you don't want to answer."

"Why do you want to know?"

Daniel sighed and looked down. "The pictures, especially the one of the wedding. You don't look happy. I've seen you look happier-" He stopped; he did not want to bring Jack into the conversation. If that was the reason, he wanted Sam to say it.

"You do know me well, don't you?" Daniel smiled and she did, too. "It's complicated. For years Dan and I were the best friends; we did everything together. There was almost nothing we didn't know of each other, but we never went beyond friendship. When we were with the Ori, I couldn't find a way to help him. Some days he was in so much pain and others, they would heal him, but the memories of the ordeal were still there. I don't know in how many ways or how many times they killed him, only to bring him back. Perhaps they were trying to force him to ascend or to get an Ancient to intervene." Suddenly her eyes got full of tears and Daniel felt guilty.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring back those memories."

"It's the only way for you to understand this," Sam said and took a deep breath. "Every day, they'd bring him back and he'd sit on his cot, against the wall, holding his legs against his body and with his head on his knees. He'd keep quiet and refuse to talk about what had happened. I don't think the Ori ever understood that he wouldn't give in as long as Vala and I were safe. If they had threatened us, he would have done anything to save us." Daniel made a gesture that Sam interpreted as skepticism and she promptly added, "You know it better than I do; don't give me that face." She smiled at him and he smiled back. Sam continued. "Vala thought he needed human contact, you know, someone to show him how important he was for us, but he was very distant and cold. I think he was trying to keep all his emotions under control. So she changed tactics. She started playing with him, taunting him, challenging him, until she got him to respond. She used sex as a means of catharsis, as a way to free him from all the strong emotions that where drowning him. Soon, she pushed me to try, too, and it worked; God knows why, but it worked. In the darkness of the cell, with cold and hunger, keeping it as quiet as possible, every time we got together we defeated all the ghosts and we forgot all the pain. At least for that moment."

"And then?"

"And then we figured out a way to escape. We got help from some of the guards, who were secretly conspiring against the Ori, and we got back. We had been very careful. We didn't want to bring a child into that hell, but as soon as we got here, Janet discovered that I was pregnant. The three of us talked about it and Vala and Dan agreed that he needed to marry me, for the baby and my career, for my name and my reputation, for all those good reasons, but we never talked about love. Don't get me wrong, Dan and I love each other, but while I love him as a man, as my husband, I think he still loves me as his best friend. I sense that he feels drawn to Vala, just as you were as soon as you were alone with her here."

"That's different. I don't have you."

"If your Vala were with you, you probably wouldn't care about that."

"I don't think so. I can't explain to you how many things came together for me to be with Vala last night, but it never happened in my reality and it never will. Sam won't happen either-"

"Why not?"

"Sam doesn't see me as a man, like you said; we're only best friends. Besides, she loves Jack."

"She doesn't!" Sam said emphatically. "She can't have told you that."

Daniel was surprised by her reaction. "Well, she hasn't really told me, but it's clear to see."

"Listen to me, Daniel, she may have an infatuation with Jack, but she'll never love him half as much as she loves you."

Daniel was taken aback by the strength of her conviction, but he knew better. "I don't think so. Just think of the other realities you know where you were with Jack."

"But you weren't a part of my life in those worlds." Daniel shook his head dismissing the idea. "Believe me, Daniel. I once thought that pining for Jack was using the unattainable to avoid being hurt, until I realized that you were who was really beyond my reach. I had you with me every day. I could hug you, cry on your shoulder, have fun with you, but never go any further than that. I taught myself to be happy with that as soon as we brought you back from Abydos, devastated and in pain. For me, you were the embodiment of everything a true scientist could be, someone who proved his crazy theories right, who opened the door to a world beyond what anyone had ever imagined, who had the guts to leave everything behind and try a new life on another planet. I never allowed myself to look at you in any other way, until Vala made me face it all in that cell. She asked me why I let her be the one who comforted Dan when our connection was deeper and had been there for so much longer. I told her that we were just friends and she said I was blind." She sighed. "Now it scares me to death that he'd want to go back to that. You have no idea how much I love you- him" she chuckled and covered her face with her hands.

Daniel stood up and knelt by the side of her bed. He gently held her hands and lowered them to look at her face. "That's why you allowed him to keep seeing Vala, isn't it?"

Sam sighed. "I don't think I have the right to separate them."

"They have ended their relationship."

"I still don't understand it. It's probably because of Dan's sense of morals. I told you; he felt guilty when he was with her, no matter how much he wanted it."

"I can't speak for him, but if he's anything like me, he must feel he owes her for what she meant to him during the imprisonment, but those feelings will never compare to the ones he has for you. You have to talk about this with him. I'm sure it would help both of you. Never doubt he loves you, Sam, and don't think he'll ever be able to go back to a life without you, not of his own will." He raised her hands to his lips and kissed them softly. Then he stood up and said, "I should go back and see if I can help them."

"Wait! Come back for a second, Sam said in a gleeful tone as he turned away from her.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes! Come here, give me your hand." Daniel obeyed her and she put his hand over her belly. "The baby is moving. Can you feel it?"

Daniel felt exhilarated. That was his own child –in some way– alive and moving inside Sam's womb. He smiled broadly. There could not be anything better. Too soon the baby became still and Sam let Daniel's hand go. "Thank you," was the only thing he felt capable of saying.

As he was back walking to the door, the phone rang and he gave it to Sam. "They need us in the lab. Something is going on in the other side of the mirror," Sam said as she hung up. Daniel helped her up and they both rushed to the lab.


	6. Chapter 6

**ANOTHER WORLD – I. The Director's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**The Director's World**

**Chapter 6**

"It looks like they're moving rocks away from the mirror," Vala said as they entered the lab.

They stood in front of the artifact and were able to see how little rays of light came from in between the rocks. A couple of hours later Dr. Lee brought their attention back to the mirror. It looked as if they were getting closer. Suddenly a huge pile of rocks fell backwards and Cameron Mitchell's face appeared on the other side. Both sides showed surprise. Mitchell kept moving rocks around and soon they were able to see Teal'c and Sam helping him.

Daniel immediately got ready to cross. He made sure he had his pictures in his pocket, turned around and hugged Sam. "Talk to him," he whispered.

He moved to face Vala and, after a little hesitation, he hugged her, too. She took the opportunity to kiss him and he just responded to her. The friends on the other side stopped moving rocks for a few seconds, stunned by the sight.

Finally, Daniel approached Dr. Lee and shook his hand. "Thank you for trying to help me," he said and the scientist nodded with a smile.

Daniel then looked at the mirror and smiled at his friends. He turned around once more and told the small group in front of him, "If Dan is there, we'll send him back, I promise."

When he looked at the mirror again, the path was clear. He smiled broadly and touched the surface of the artifact. In a second, he was home.


	7. Chapter 7

**ANOTHER WORLD – II. Daniel's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Daniel's World**

**Chapter 1**

Dan opened his eyes and felt pain all over his body. He could not see much around him. It was very dark and there were rocks and dust everywhere. The last thing he could recall was being in a storage room at the SGC, close to a quantum mirror. He remembered seeing something moving on the other side of the mirror. It had looked as if there was someone there, but a second later the image had seemed to shake. He approached and… That was it. He could not remember anything else. He tried to pick himself up from the floor, but he was trapped. He tried looking around again, but it was too dark. He lowered his head and waited. Someone had to find him. They would be looking for him He had gone there to retrieve an artifact to check it for the last time before sending it to Area 51. They would surely notice soon that he was not in his office. He closed his eyes and tried to find a position that caused less pain.

"DanielJackson, are you injured?" Teal'c's thunderous voice brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes and looked at Teal'c, but he was unable to respond. His throat felt very dry. Teal'c looked at him and his expression became curious. "ColonelMitchell, it seems I have found DanielJackson."

"What do you mean _it seems_?" Cam asked from behind the Jaffa. Teal'c slowly moved aside and let the colonel look at Daniel.

"Wow!"

"What?" Sam asked and moved closer to see. She looked at Daniel and kneeled by his side. "Daniel?"

Dan looked at her, took in her short hair and the flat shirt, felt dizzy, and passed out.


	8. Chapter 8

**ANOTHER WORLD – II. Daniel's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Daniel's World**

**Chapter 2**

"Well, he definitely is Dr. Jackson. All the tests prove so. He just looks different," Carolyn Lam said to the rest of SG-1 and General Landry as they joined her by Daniel's bedside in the Infirmary.

Dan opened his eyes and saw the young doctor in front of him. "Where's Janet?" he managed to say.

Everybody turned to look at him.

"Daniel?" Sam asked. "What happened? Do you remember anything?"

"What's this?" Dan asked trying to sit up. He felt dizzy again and fell backwards on the bed. "What just happened?" he tried again.

"Dr. Jackson, you have some injuries that need to be treated. Please, remain in bed," Dr. Lam said as she checked his pulse.

"Daniel, there was a quake after you entered the cave in Algoran," Sam started explaining. "You were trapped under the rocks. What do you remember?"

Dan closed his eyes and tried to work out the situation in his head. It definitely had to be an alternate universe, but how had he gotten there? Cam interrupted his thoughts. "Hey, Jackson, you okay?" he asked.

Dan hesitated and then decided the truth would be the best option. "I'm not your Daniel."

"What do you mean?" Landry asked.

"I don't belong here. I don't know what happened, but this isn't my world." He sighed and then said in a low voice, almost to himself. "I can't believe it's happening again."

"Do you remember what happened?" Cam asked, as he got closer to Dan.

"I believe I lost consciousness for a while," he said honestly. "The last thing I remember is being in a storage room at the SGC, looking at a quantum mirror because something had moved on the other side. Someone was there. Then everything shook… I have no idea. I don't remember anything else."

"How do you know this is not your world, DanielJackson?" Teal'c asked.

"In my reality I'm not in SG-1 anymore and neither is Sam. She's pregnant, about to give birth." Sam looked surprised. Dan looked around and stopped as he saw Carolyn again. "You don't work for the SGC. Janet is the Chief Medical Officer. You're Cam's fiancée." Landry looked at his daughter and at Mitchell and both evaded his look. "And you're in Homeworld Security, General." Dan sighed lightly and then said, "You know I'm not your Daniel; you haven't doubted what I said. How did you know?"

"It was probably, more than anything else, the hair," Sam said as she looked at him. "Daniel has never had his hair that long."


	9. Chapter 9

**ANOTHER WORLD – II. Daniel's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Daniel's World**

**Chapter 3**

When Carolyn finally allowed Dan to leave the Infirmary, Cam and Teal'c took him to the showers and then they waited for him until he was dressed. Then they took him to the cafeteria where Sam joined them. Many people in the room forgot about manners and stopped to stare at the new Daniel. He was wearing Daniel's clothes, but he looked a completely different man. His body was the result of hours of workout at the gym –even more than the real Daniel had done, though he had been really trying lately– and the sleeveless T-shirt showed impressive arms. He stood and walked in a very confident manner; he seemed ready to conquer the world. However, the most distinguishing factor was the long, slightly wavy hair.

"Carolyn said you had to take these with your meal for your headache," Cam said as he gave him some pills.

"We have to understand what happened, Dan, so that we can send you back to your reality and try to find our own Daniel," Sam said as she sat down.

"He must have crossed to my reality or I would soon start feeling the effects of thetemporal entropic cascade failure," Dan said. "Still, perhaps it's too early to feel any symptoms."

"You've been in this reality for almost a day. You'd be feeling something if he were here," Sam said.

"Unless DanielJackson is dead under the ruins of the cave," Teal'c added.

The three other teammates shuddered.

"That's a possibility," Dan agreed, "but I didn't feel anyone near me when I was lying in the cave."

"We'll have to go back to that planet and check more thoroughly," Cam said.

"We won't be able to do that until tomorrow at noon. We're in the middle of running diagnostics that can't be stopped," Sam explained.

"Then, Teal'c and I will get ready for tomorrow. Sam, now it's your turn to take care of Dan." Cam stood up and soon left with Teal'c.

"Would you like some really good coffee? Daniel has the best in his office," Sam said after they left. Dan smiled and got up to follow her.

After they got into Daniel's office and prepared some coffee, they both sat down and drank silently for a while.

"It's so hard to find out how many people that we still have in my world have died here," Dan suddenly said, "and I still can't believe you haven't gone public yet."

"You talked much with Cam and Teal'c?"

"Cam mostly," Dan smiled.

"Yeah, I imagine. What's the hardest part about being here?"

"You."

"Me? You said I was alive and pregnant."

"What's hard is to be near you and not really be able to tell you how important you're to me and how much I love you." Sam looked at him stunned. "I never really told that to my Sam; I thought she always knew. Now that she's not here, I know I should have told her."

"I'm sure she knows. Daniel and I know how much we care for each other."

"Why haven't you had any children?"

"Children? You mean why haven't_ I_ had any children?'

"Well, Daniel and you."

"Daniel and I? Oh, no, we're not a couple, we're just great friends," Sam explained.

"You aren't married?" Sam shook her head emphatically. "Is he still married to Sarah, is she alive?" Sam explained to him how Sarah had been taken by Osiris and where she had gone after the end of her ordeal.

Dan suddenly asked about his parents and she told him about the accident.

"I wasn't there when it happened," Dan said, "and it only happened eleven years ago. I always had them close to me when I was growing up. I had a very happy childhood."

"Not Daniel," Sam said with sadness.

"It must have been very hard. My life was almost perfect until then." They both kept silent for a while, thinking about all the differences their lives must had had.

Sam suddenly looked at Dan and asked, "Why did you think Daniel and I were married?"

"Because we're married in my reality," Dan said.

"She's expecting _your_ baby?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I wouldn't have thought of that. I knew of another pregnant Sam when we had the ripple effect, but I never thought it could have been your baby there, too."

"Why not?"

"Who knows… I just assumed that it was Jack's, you know, General O'Neill. I- She was with him in other realities."

"You didn't check many, did you?"

"No, why? Did you?"

"Yep."

"And?"

"And we were together in every reality where I was part of the SGC. Every time I found you with Jack, you'd never met me or I was still married to Sha're," Dan smiled.

"That's odd."

"Sure."

"No, I mean… I just never thought about it."

"So you don't have any feelings for your Daniel?"

"I have _feelings_; he's my best friend, the closest person to me in the world."

"But not _'romantic feelings'_, let's call them. I bet if you could choose, you'd go with Jack."

"I- I don't know. I could choose now. I just… I don't think that the general and I could work out as a couple, the daily life, I mean. I… I can't believe I'm talking to you about this."

"You don't talk about this with your best friend?"

Sam sighed. "We do talk, but not about Jack. They're very good friends, too."

"We are in my reality, too."

"It just feels weird."

"What about Vala?" Dan asked seeing how uncomfortable Sam felt.

"What about her?"

"Is she with Daniel?"

"She wished!" Sam said without thinking.

Dan smiled. "I take it they aren't together."

"No, she married someone else in the Ori galaxy."

"Wow! You didn't go there with her?"

Sam explained the beachhead incident and Dan explained his version, including their capture and imprisonment. It made Sam sick. She was certain that he was censoring himself to keep the worse details from her.

"I don't think I'd have survived without them. The Ori knew it; that's why they let them stay with me."

"You're strong. I'm sure you'd have gotten out on your own."

"No," Dan said very seriously. "I just wanted to die and not be brought back. I couldn't even try to ascend, because that's what they wanted."

"I'm sorry."

Dan shrugged.

"So, did you notice you were in love with your Sam during that time?" Sam asked.

"I had been thinking there was something there. I got Pete stuck in my throat-"

Sam smiled.

"Did you have a Pete here?"

"Yeah."

"You're not married to him, are you?"

"No."

"Good."

"So, what happened after Pete?"

"I thought Sam wanted Jack, but something happened when he left the SGC –I never asked them– and they never got together. I was sure they would, so I asked to go to Atlantis, but Vala came back and-"

"I know, it was like that here, too," Sam said still smiling.

"I had to stay and soon Sam was back, too, but there was no way to tell her what I was feeling. Then we were captured and I shut down. I didn't want to be near Sam and Vala because I was afraid they'd hurt them to torture me, but Vala had other ideas. She convinced me that every minute we spent without pain, without remembering that we were trapped there, every minute we tried to be happy in spite of it all, it was a triumph. I couldn't see any way to be happy, but she said that even if it was just physical pleasure, it was something they couldn't take from us. I thought it was amusing the fact that I was dying when I finally agreed to what she had been proposing since the day we'd met."

"So you started a relationship with Vala, not with Sam, while you were there," Sam interjected.

"One night, after they brought me back to the cell, Sam sat down by my side, like she had done so many times before, and held my hand. I was so tired, not physically, because they had healed me again, just so tired of the nightmare, that I leaned on her shoulder. She pushed me back up. I thought I had hurt her and I was going to apologize when she kissed me, and from that day, some nights she'd take Vala's place and, others, she'd just go to sleep quietly while I was with Vala." Sam kept quiet; she could not even begin to imagine what was going through their heads at that time. "We never talked about it, never, and when we finally escaped and got back to the SGC, Janet told us that Sam was pregnant. We had tried to avoid it; we didn't want a child to suffer because of us. But the baby was there and Sam and I got married,"

"And you stopped seeing Vala."

"No."

"No?"

"No. I couldn't just dump her like that."

"And did Sam know?"

"Yes."

"And she didn't object?"

"She never said a word."

"I can't believe it." Sam said in a tone that simply showed she was surprised and not judging them. "She must be far stronger than I am."

"I'm sure you'd know what to do if something as bad happened."

"So, you're still with both?"

"No, Vala and I decided that it would be better if I stayed only with Sam."

"Because of the baby?"

"No, because I've loved Sam far longer and far deeper than I'll ever get to love Vala. I do care about Vala. In spite of all the things she did to me at the beginning, she's proven that she's much better than that, but I'll never love her as I love Sam."

"However, you haven't told Sam that."

"No. That's my worse regret. I need to go back and tell her and be there when our child is born."


	10. Chapter 10

**ANOTHER WORLD – II. Daniel's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Daniel's World**

**Chapter 4**

After Dan was left in the guest quarters for the night –with a guard by his door, just in case– Sam went to her own room in the base and lay down on the bed for a long time, trying to imagine what her alternate self had been going through. She wondered if she would have made the same decisions or if she would have changed the story. She found it very difficult to understand that she –in any reality– would have accepted sharing the man she loved with somebody else. Perhaps that Sam did not really love Dan as much and was staying with him for the sake of the baby. After all, it was only Daniel, her best friend, not the love of her life.

Even more baffling was the fact that _'the other'_ woman was Vala. What could any Daniel see in her? She finally admitted to herself that most of the annoyance she felt for Vala was due to the fact that she had rapidly established a solid relationship with Daniel. Vala irritated him to the extreme and yet Daniel always ended up closer to her than anyone else, like when she had communicated from the Ori galaxy through him. There was something there and she could not exactly grasp what.

What made her most uncomfortable with the whole situation was the fact that Sam and Dan had taken their friendship one step beyond and they had shared such intimate contact while they had been imprisoned. There was no chance she would ever get to that point with her Daniel. There was nothing there, not even a little bit of physical attraction. Of course, he was a handsome man… Actually, she would probably qualify him as _'gorgeous'_ if he were not her best friend. He was also a good man, a good person, with a big heart, and, above everything else, he was brilliant. She had always admired brilliant men. She certainly admired Daniel as much as she admired General O'Neill or Teal'c. Perhaps a little bit more. He had shown he could be as good a soldier as any of them and he also had the other side, the scientist side, which appealed to her in a very different way.

She suddenly remembered the day when she had been sent to another dimension, along with Cam, because of an Ancient device. She had been truly annoyed until Daniel had ended up right there with her. She had felt relieved, almost happy. She had even told him so. Well, she had said that it was a good thing that he was there because he could translate the writings much faster. He surely had understood what she meant.

She turned around in her bed and lay face down on top of the covers. She was not going to fall asleep easily.

She tried to imagine how Dan would have looked, in an ugly prison cell, thin and in pain, his head shaved, his eyes darkened by suffering. She shivered forcefully. If that happened to Daniel, she would do anything to make him feel better. Whatever was necessary. Yes! That had to be the reason. The pity, the pain, the need to comfort him.

She felt she had found a logical explanation to the situation in the other reality and soon fell into a deep sleep. She woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, agitated and confused. She had been dreaming. It had been a disturbing dream obviously. Her bed was a mess; it looked as if she had been fighting with her bedding as she dreamt.

She made an effort to relax and fixed the bed. She got under the covers and closed her eyes. If she could remember what she was dreaming about. She made a little effort and- Holly Hannah! There it was! She could still see it in her mind. She remembered! She had been dreaming about Daniel, her Daniel, making love to her.


	11. Chapter 11

**ANOTHER WORLD – II. Daniel's World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Daniel's World**

**Chapter 5**

"What are we doing?" Sam asked as she entered the gateroom and saw Walter Harriman with an instant camera taking pictures of Dan in front of the gate. Teal'c, Cam, and Landry patiently waited for him to finish.

"Dr. Jackson here requested some pictures of people around the base to take to his home in case you're successful in sending him back there," General Landry explained, "and we thought we should take some pictures of our own, for the records, of course. I'm sure our Dr. Jackson would be happy that we thought of that."

As she walked by Harriman to join the rest of her team, he gave her one of the pictures. "Here you go; you can keep one of these. I think we have enough."

A few minutes later the three SG-1 members and Dan were back on the planet where they had found him. They carefully started clearing a bigger path toward the corner where he had been lying on the floor. It was difficult and it took time. They all worked steadily with their hands, afraid of using any machinery that could hurt Daniel if he was somewhere in there.

After hours of hard work, Sam saw something shine slightly when she directed her flashlight toward it.

"It looks like there's something here," she said.

Cameron moved to where she was and asked her to let him move near the object. "There's little space to work here; go get your first aid stuff in case we find him and he's hurt. Sam left hurriedly and Cam started passing rocks to Teal'c.

"It is indeed a mirror," Teal'c said as Sam came back.

"Yep. We'll move the rocks away from it," Cam said. "It doesn't look damaged."

Roughly an hour later an image started appearing in front of them. On the other side of the mirror a group of people seemed to be waiting for them to finish. Dr. Lee, Vala, a very pregnant Sam, and Daniel, their own Daniel, were there. Both sides showed surprise. Mitchell kept moving rocks around and soon they cleared the space immediately in front of the mirror.

Sam looked at Dan, paralyzed with emotion, standing right behind her with the rocks Teal'c had just given him still in his hands. "Those are your people, right? They're expecting you." Dan simply nodded and threw the rocks to the pile behind him. Then he hugged Sam. "Thank you," he whispered. He was ready to cross.

Cam moved backwards to give Daniel space to cross. He was hugging Sam on the other side. Then he moved to face Vala and after a little hesitation, he hugged her, too. She took the opportunity to kiss him and he just responded to her. His friends on this side of the mirror stopped moving rocks for a few seconds, stunned by the sight.

Finally, Daniel approached Dr. Lee and shook his hand as the scientist nodded with a smile.

Daniel then looked at the mirror and smiled at his friends. He turned around once more and said something to the small group in front of him. One second later he was home. Cam patted his arm, Teal'c gave him his _'arm shake'_ and Sam hugged him vigorously. As she let him go, he saw the other Daniel right behind her.

They shook hands and smiled as if both were thinking in unison. Then Dan walked toward the mirror and right before touching it, he turned around.

"Tell her," Daniel said.

"It's a promise," Dan answered and he was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

**ANOTHER WORLD – III. Our World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Our World**

**Chapter 1**

"How's the baby?" Sam asked as she turned on the lamp on the nightstand.

"Sam, would you please stop worrying? The baby's fine. He's sleeping. I couldn't sleep and I just felt like watching him sleep for a while." Dan smiled and got back in bed.

"Sometimes I do that and I check that he's still breathing," Sam said cuddling on Dan's side.

"Sam, he'll be all right. He won't stop breathing. He's fine and he's strong. He has your genes," he smiled at her again and hugged her as she leaned against his side.

"I hope yours are stronger than mine. You have a better record of coming back."

"Sam," Dan changed his tone to a very serious one. "He was a little bit premature and he got in trouble, but he's fine now. You don't have to obsess about it anymore. It was a long month, but we have him here, at home. That means he's strong enough to be out of the hospital. Start enjoying this blessing."

"I never thought I could be that scared."

"I know, I felt the same way, but it's over now. Besides, I wanted to talk about something with you."

"Is anything wrong?"

"Sam!"

"Okay, okay, I'm listening."

"I've been meaning to talk to you since I came back from the other reality. We probably would have done it by now if you hadn't gone into labor as soon as I crossed back."

"Yeah; too many things happening in only two days," Sam said as she recalled that week.

"Well, now that everything is back to normal, I think we need to talk about us. Specially about us and Vala."

Sam felt a knot in her stomach. She had been expecting this. Now that the baby was born and her reputation was safe, Dan did not need to stay with her out of loyalty and concern. She knew that, even if they separated, their bond was too strong and they would remain friends for the rest of their lives. Moreover, Dan would always be there for their child.

She took a deep breath and prepared for the worst. "Okay," she said softly.

"I wanted to apologize for not letting you participate in the decision-making lately," Sam dismissed it with a gesture. "No. I'm serious. Vala and I have been making up our minds about what's right for us and taking action without really consulting you."

Sam looked down and remained quiet. She had felt left out, but she had not found a way to talk about it. After Dan had _'informed'_ her that he was ending his relationship with Vala, she had wanted to know the reasons, but Dan had seemed upset that day and she had remained silent. Afterwards, she had never felt it was the right time to ask about it. She had thought a couple of times about talking to Vala –she considered her a friend since their return from the Ori– and the circumstances had stopped her on every occasion.

She sighed and then looked at Dan. "It's all right. I just want to know why."

"Why Vala and I separated or why we didn't talk about it?"

"Both, I guess."

"It's hard for me to talk about it. That's my fault. I feel very guilty about abandoning Vala, about leaving her after all she did for me –you both did– during our time with the Ori. We've never talked about it, Sam, you and I. Vala wanted to talk about it; she confronted me. She made me face my feelings. The morning that she and I had the talk, the psychiatrist at the base had had his usual session with me earlier in the day. He had gone back to the times of the captivity and he suddenly said something like _'You've never told me what prompted you to have sex with fellow teammates'_ and looked at me waiting for an answer."

"He's talked about that so many times with me," Sam said. "Every time he has to update on how fit we are for running this program, he goes back to that."

"We really never discussed that part. Mostly because I refused. It's too personal." Sam smiled; she knew Dan too well and she was sure he had found ways to escape the questions. "That day I felt that we had to talk it out or he'd never stop asking. One of the few times in my life I've felt so strongly the desire to punch someone's face."

Sam smiled again; she could imagine Dan's red face as he kept himself under control. "What did you tell him?" she asked.

"I told him that we hadn't just had sex. That we had made love."

"What did he say?"

"He looked at me with disbelief and asked _'With both?' _as if it were impossible."

Sam tried to remain serious; she could not stop being amused at the fury that Dan would have felt as the doctor questioned his honesty. "And you said?" she prompted him.

"I said _yes_, _of course with both_, I love them both. We didn't just have sex for entertainment. We defied the Ori by allowing ourselves to share the love we have for each other and it gave us more strength to face the challenge. He said we didn't need to resort to the physical relationship to achieve that. That team cohesion doesn't include sex. He asked me what would have happened if I had been there with Cam and Teal'c instead of you two."

Sam could not stop the smile. "Did you answer that one?"

"I said I didn't know. That wasn't the situation and I don't have to worry about it. He then asked _'So, you don't rule it out that it could have happened the same way with your other teammates?' _and I seriously considered if they would let me stay in command if I knocked him out."

Sam openly laughed. "McKenzie has always made you feel that way, especially since the incident with Ma'chello's parasites."

"Remind me again, why is he still here?" Sam smiled and Dan continued. "In any case, he then asked me whether we had ever thought if the Ori knew what we were doing."

"I think so, I'm sure they knew. What I don't know is why they didn't stop us," Sam said.

"I believe they just don't know enough about human nature. With all the delusions of greatness they still can't understand what moves the human spirit."

"You're probably right," Sam agreed and then changed her tone "Was that all with Dr. McKenzie?"

"No, he also asked if I had chosen you to marry simply because you were pregnant."

Sam felt she would have to work on her breathing because it was becoming more and more difficult. "Did he?"

"Yes and that was exactly the same question Vala asked me a couple of hours later." Sam did not comment on it and Dan continued. "I had to tell her the truth, too, but I've never told **_you_** this, Sam, and I think it's about time I do." He held her hand and turned slightly toward her so that he could look at her eyes as he spoke. "I chose you, and I would have always chosen you, because I love you, as my teammate, as my friend, as my lover, as my wife and the mother of my son, and simply as a woman, the most fascinating woman I've ever met, Sam." Sam's eyes filled with tears all of a sudden and Dan hugged her tightly. "I don't know what drove you to offer your love to me in that cell or if you agreed to marry me just because of the baby, and the truth is, it really doesn't change what I'm trying to tell you, Sam, but when I was in that other reality and thought that perhaps I'd never see you again, I couldn't forgive myself for not having told you this." Sam tried to say something, but he stopped her. "Let me finish, Sam. I want to be sure I tell you everything." Sam assented and Dan added, "I care about Vala, I do, I care deeply for her, because in spite of the image she shows to the world, you and I know that she's different inside and that she's capable of many sacrifices for the good of others." Sam agreed again. "However, those feelings don't compare to what you have awakened in me. I'll do whatever you want to do with the rest of our lives. I don't want you to feel that you have to choose to stay with me because of how I feel; I just want you to be happy. I couldn't bear it if in order for me to keep you with me I had to see you long for someone else or suffer because you don't love me the way I love you."

Sam moved slightly backwards so that she could look at his face. "You know, Dan, I know you're brilliant. You've proven it over and over again, so I don't understand how you can be so clueless sometimes." Dan put on his most clueless face as if to prove her right and Sam knew he was not faking it. "You don't know, do you? You have no idea how much _I_ love _you_ and how I've been dreaming you'd say to me what you said tonight." Dan hugged her again and Sam added, "I can't blame you, can I? I didn't realize what your feelings were either." Dan chuckled softly and Sam almost whispered, "I feel like when I was seventeen, all giddy and scared of what comes next at the same time."

"What comes next is that we try to be happy for as long as we have and we fight with everything we have to save our family and our world from what's threatening them."

"Feels like too much responsibility."

"We've never doubted before and now we have one more reason to fight."

"Yes!" Sam said excitedly as she thought of the small baby sleeping in the other room. "Just tell me one thing, Dan. How's Vala really taking all this?"

"She's fine. She's been through much worse. I don't think she loves me the way we love each other. I think she likes me, but I think it'll take her much longer to learn to trust someone enough to allow herself to have those feelings. Besides, I think she's starting to feel an inclination for Teal'c."

"Teal'c?" Sam asked with surprise.

"Yep. _'Muscles' _has sort of a calming effect on her and I think she amuses him. Have you seen them playing basketball together?"

"She could put her trust in him more than in anyone else we know."

"You're right. Now, going back to us, there's one more thing I want to tell you. I want to apologize for every time I was with Vala after we got married. I know you said it would be all right the day we discussed our options after we came back, but I felt like I was betraying you in some way."

"You didn't. This started because of her and we couldn't just leave her on the side of the road and keep on going. What I noticed is that you slowly started diminishing the times you were together through the months."

"How would you have known?" Dan asked surprised.

"Oh, I did, Dan. It was written all over your face and it didn't feel like it was making you happy."

"It wasn't, really. It was pleasurable. You know that because you were there in that cell with us, but it was missing something, what I had when I was with you."

"But we haven't been together since we escaped," Sam replied.

"I know. At the beginning, you were so sick all the time and, later on, it didn't feel right. I didn't know what your feelings for me were and I didn't want to hurt you."

"I thought you didn't want to be with me."

"I'm sorry. I would have told you then if I had known. I just wanted you to have a peaceful pregnancy."

"Well, the pregnancy is over and we know how much we love each other," Sam said with a smile.

"Then, I shouldn't be making my wife wait," Dan said as he slid under the covers taking her with him and kissed her without any doubts or reservations for the first time in their lives.


	13. Chapter 13

**ANOTHER WORLD – III. Our World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Our World**

**Chapter 2**

"Are you feeling okay, Daniel?" Sam said as she caught up with him on the way to his office.

"I'm fine, Sam. Don't worry."

"Dr. Lam said you should have stayed longer in the Infirmary."

"Not even one more minute."

"But that was a serious injury; you need to recover."

"I have recovered. I'm walking and I almost have no more pain."

"Almost?"

"Almost," he said right before unlocking his door and rapidly sitting down on his small armchair. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Much better, much better."

"Daniel, you still have pain."

"Well, sure I have some pain, but not enough to worry." He stood up and looked dizzy and he immediately sat back down. "I think I'll stay here for another little while."

"Daniel," Sam said approaching him and kneeling by his side. "Why were you so desperate to get out of there? I know you've never liked it, but today I felt like you were in a rush."

"I am in a rush," he said softly, as in confidence.

"Why?"

"I almost died this week again. Many, many good people died in the last two weeks. While I was there in the Ori ship with Vala, I couldn't stop these thoughts about my life from assaulting me."

"What thoughts?"

"How it's been an empty life. How I've followed my passions from one side of the galaxy to the other and I've never stopped to form a lasting relationship with anyone."

"You have friends and you also stopped for Sha're."

"She stopped me. Some days I think that if they hadn't married us without my knowledge, I would have come back with Jack after that first mission."

"You're sure?"

"I don't know if I really stayed for her or for all the wonders I could see around me in Abydos."

"But you loved her very much, I know you did."

"Yes, I did. I loved her very much. It's hard to explain how intense those feelings were, but since then there has been nobody else in my life and I feel this emptiness… When I was in Dan's world it hit me very hard. He had a family, a son on the way."

"His life was different than yours. The gate was public. He was recognized for all his worth. He even had his parents until he was an adult."

"Those were advantages, but I wasn't captured by the Ori and tortured," Daniel said. Sam softly touched the bandages coming out from his shirt and looked at him. "Well, not in the same way and, thanks God, you were not there with me."

"Vala was."

"Nothing happened to her. She's fine."

"I know."

"And I didn't start a relationship with her there."

"I know, Daniel, I know." Sam smiled. "What about Sarah? Dan was married to her for a while."

"I ruined that chance a long time ago and, besides, she's trying to have a new life. She doesn't need a constant reminder of what happened to her."

"So, what are you thinking?"

"I don't know yet. First, we have to deal with the Wraith and the Ori, and we're not even done with the Goa'uld."

"So? Why the rush then?"

"I can't explain it, Sam. I'm desperate." He sighed and leaned back in the chair. He covered his face with his hands and chuckled. "This must be a mid-life crisis, eh?"

Sam felt completely unable to help. She understood exactly what he was talking about. She had had the same feelings when she sat in the debriefing room and looked at the pictures of Dan and Sam that Daniel had brought. They had been through horrible things together, but they had each other every day at the end of the day. They went home to each other. They even had a son about to be born or probably already there.

"Daniel," she finally said as she stood up. "Would you let me take you home with me? Just for a couple of days, for the weekend, okay? We can talk more and I'll be able to help you. There must be lots of things you still can't do on your own. We can order some food and watch some movies. Just a leisure weekend. No talking about the Wraith or the Ori."

Daniel looked at her for a second and then said, "Okay, sounds good. Let's go." They had taken care of each other many times before. Jack had usually been the one who took care of him, but, since Jack had left, Sam and Teal'c had helped. He briefly thought about how many times he had been injured and tortured even after he had descended the first time. He had even died again since then. No, he really did not want to go back to his empty house.


	14. Chapter 14

**ANOTHER WORLD – III. Our World** by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Our World**

**Chapter 3**

After having some hearty Italian food and spending a couple of hours watching the movies Sam had recorded in her DVR, they settled in the den to have a cup of tea before going to bed. They talked about the time Daniel had spent in Dan's world and he ended up confessing what had happened with Vala.

Sam felt uncomfortable by the notion of Daniel making love to a Vala, no matter in what universe.

"Is Vala the woman with whom you want to have a relationship?" she asked him suddenly.

"Eh? No, no Sam. I haven't thought about that at all."

"Why? You didn't enjoy being with her?"

"No, it's not that. I did, I enjoyed it. It was more or less what I expected."

"So, you had thought about it beforehand?" she wanted to know.

"Sam, that would have been hard to avoid. She hardly talks about anything else when we're alone."

"Then, what's stopping you now? She doesn't have a husband anymore."

"What happened with that Vala happened because we both needed it. She had lost Dan and I had lost-" he hesitated for an instant, "I had lost everyone I care about. No matter how many of you were there, they were not my people."

"It could happen again."

"No, it won't. We were both curious. I think she wanted to compare us. I wanted to know if I felt something else besides the physical attraction."

"And?"

"I care about her, but I don't love her enough to want to have a full relationship with her."

They talked about it for a few more minutes and then Sam decided Daniel needed to go to bed. She completely refused to allow him to sleep on the sofa and she guided him to her bed. She left him brushing his teeth in the bathroom as she changed into her nightgown. Then, she took him to the bed and sat him on the edge. She helped him take his shoes off and then she helped him with his shirt. She made him lay back with his head on the pillows and started unbuckling his belt.

"Sam, I can do that," Daniel said feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"No, let me." She finished with the belt and pulled his trousers down. She neatly folded them and put them on the back of a chair as he covered himself with the sheets.

"Not yet," Sam said as she came back to the bed. She moved the sheets aside and took Daniel's socks off. Then she climbed on the bed and straddled his legs.

Daniel had not overcome his surprise when she pulled up her nightgown and passed it over her head.

"What are you doing?" Daniel asked timidly as his body suddenly felt like it was being hit by an electrical current when the naked Sam sat back on his legs.

Sam did not respond and moved her hands to the sides of his boxers and started pulling down. She smiled at him and said, "I'm going to make love to you."

Daniel grabbed the top edge of his underwear and kept them in place. "Wh-what?" was the only thing he was able to say.

"You heard me. I'm going to make love to you," she said slowly, enunciating every word as if talking to a hearing impaired person

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"I don't think it's a good idea," Daniel insisted.

"You're lying," Sam smiled. "I think it's a great idea and your body does, too," she added as she removed his last piece of clothing with one swift movement.

Daniel forcefully sank his head backwards on the pillows, ashamed and incapable to hide the evidence of his lie. "I don't think I can carry a logical argument with you there," he said with his eyes closed.

"Great. I don't want to discuss anything. I just want to make love to you." She slowly slid on top of his body and reclined her head on his chest. "The other Sam waited until her Dan was dying to get here. I'm not going to do that, Daniel," she said very softly. "You showed me today how lonely and cold your life feels now and that isn't right, because there are people like me who would do anything for you."

"You don't need to do this, Sam," Daniel argued.

"You're right. I don't have to do anything. I'm doing it because I want to do it. Look at me, Daniel," she said as she raised her head to be able to look at him. "This is _I_, giving _you_ the only part of me you don't have."

"This is too much; more than I deserve," Daniel said with his eyes full of tears.

"You deserve everything I can give you and more. I'm not asking you to marry me or to choose me to be the mother of your children. Not even your lover. This has no conditions. I know we love each other very deeply and I want to make you feel how much I care for you. I've had very few men in my life, Daniel, and today I wish there had been none, so that this would mean more to you."

"Even if this was it, if you stopped right now and changed your mind, you have no idea how much this already means to me, Sam."

"That's good, but I'm not going to stop now. I want you to understand this, _you're not alone_, you'll never be as long as I'm here, and you can come back to me every day, every time you need me, every time you need someone to hold your hand or every time you don't want to go back home alone. And if later on you find another woman to take this place, I won't stop you, I won't complain." Daniel was about to say something, but she put a finger on his lips. "Let me say this. It took me a while, but now I know exactly why the other Sam allowed Dan to keep seeing Vala. She loved him so much that she was willing to share him in order to make him happy and I'm sure she would have let him go without a word if that was what he needed."

"I don't know Dan, Sam, but _I_, seriously, I don't deserve that much. There are very few women like you in the world, in any reality. When I was there I kept trying to figure out what he had done to be able to share his life with you, with his Sam. When I touched her belly and I felt their baby moving there, all I could think was how it would be to feel my son in you."

"You did?" she asked as she softly caressed his temple.

"I knew I didn't have a chance."

"Why not?"

"I'm no competition for Jack, Sam."

Sam looked at him for a minute. Daniel suddenly felt he had offended her or that he had brought up something Sam would not want to discuss. After all, she was there with him and not with Jack. He was ready to apologize when she finally said, "Well, if you thought you were competing with Jack, now you know who won." She lowered her head onto his chest again and remained there in silence.

Daniel slowly raised his hand from behind her and gently caressed her back. "Sam, you said you weren't asking for anything, but what if I asked you?"

"What would you ask?"

"I'd ask you all those things. To be my lover and my wife, and, if we both survived long enough, to have a family with me."

"Is that what you really want or are you just settling for me?"

"If I chose anyone else I'd be settling for her, but with you, it would mean to have everything a man could ask for."

"I don't care about what men ask for. I want to know what would make _you_ happy."

"You."

"Then we both have what we wanted." She raised her head and kissed his chin. "Now, if I say yes, can we go back to the making love part?" she asked with a smile.

"When you said that for the first time it really scared me," Daniel confessed.

"Why?"

"I didn't want to just have sex with you."

"This has nothing to do with sex. It's strictly about love, Daniel. It's about sharing with the bodies what we already share with our hearts. Does it still scare you?"

"No, I think there's enough love in this room to fuel hundreds of years of happiness."

"Good. I'm sure there's enough coming from my side…" Sam said softly.

"You know how much I love you, don't you?"

"I suppose so, but it's good to hear it out loud."

"Then I'll say it, just for you." He softly turned his body sideways pushing Sam to lay down on the bed and then he started kissing her gently, moving his mouth over her body, lifting his lips only to say one more couple of words, "I love you, Sam. Te amo. Je t'aime. Io ti amo. Ich liebe dich. Maite zaitut. T'estim molt. Ti voglio bene. Eu te amo. Te quiero tanto. Ani ohev otakh. Ego te amo. Rojhayhû. Te adoro..."

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